Poplarville, Mississippi

Poplarville is a city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,894. It is the county seat of Pearl River County.[3] It hosts an annual Blueberry Jubilee, which includes rides, craft vendors and rodeos.

Poplarville, Mississippi
City
Pearl River County Courthouse
Nickname(s):  P-Ville, PopVegas
Location of Poplarville, Mississippi
Poplarville, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 30°50′26″N 89°32′2″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Pearl River
Government
• Mayor	Rossie Creel
Area [1]
• Total	5.43 sq mi (14.06 km^2)
• Land	5.42 sq mi (14.03 km^2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km^2)
Elevation	318 ft (97 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,894
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	2,899
• Density	535.07/sq mi (206.61/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39470
Area code(s)	601/769
FIPS code	28-59480
GNIS feature ID	0676247
Website	www.poplarville.ms.gov/Pages/default.aspx

History

Poplarville was named for Poplar Jim Smith, the original owner of the town site.[4]

In 1959, Mack Charles Parker, an African-American accused of rape, was abducted from the Pearl River County jail in Poplarville by a mob[5] and shot to death. Despite confessions, no charges were filed against anyone. The mayor of Poplarville told a New York Times reporter, "You couldn't convict the guilty parties if you had a sound film of the lynching."[6] It was the fourth lynching in Poplarville since the Civil War.[7] The case focused national attention on the persistence of lynching in the South[8] and helped accelerate the American Civil Rights Movement.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted heavy damage on the small town. The storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind was reported at Pearl River Community College, at 135 mph (217 km/h). On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, Poplarville played host to a visit by George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Governor Haley Barbour to Pearl River Community College in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[9]

On December 21, 2006, an early morning fire destroyed 3 downtown buildings.

On March 25, 2014 citizens voted to allow for beer and wine sales. The final vote count was 361 votes for the measure and 149 against.[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	232		—
1900	990		326.7%
1910	1,272		28.5%
1920	1,290		1.4%
1930	1,498		16.1%
1940	1,664		11.1%
1950	1,852		11.3%
1960	2,136		15.3%
1970	2,312		8.2%
1980	2,562		10.8%
1990	2,561		0.0%
2000	2,601		1.6%
2010	2,894		11.3%
Est. 2019	2,899	[2]	0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 852 households, and 558 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.5 people per square mile (260.8/km²). There were 936 housing units at an average density of 243.4 per square mile (93.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.32% White, 23.95% African American, 0.50% Asian, 0.15% Native American, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 852 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 20.8% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,417, and the median income for a family was $32,339. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,833. About 20.8% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Theodore G. Bilbo, U.S. Senator, was born in 1877 in Juniper Grove, an eastern township of Poplarville.
• Larkin I. Smith was born in Poplarville in June 1944. In August 1989, Smith died in a plane crash just 7 months after taking office in the U.S. House of Representatives and was succeeded by Democrat Gene Taylor, who would hold that office until his defeat by Republican Steven Palazzo in the 2010 midterm elections. Smith served capacities in both the Harrison and Pearl River County Sheriff's Departments and as Sheriff of Harrison County before being elected to the U.S. Congress.
• Glen Day, PGA Tour Golfer
• Mack Charles Parker was an African-American victim of lynching in the United States who had been accused of raping a pregnant white woman in northern Pearl River County, Mississippi. Three days before he was to stand trial, on April 24, 1959, Parker was kidnapped from his jail cell in the Pearl River County Courthouse (located in Poplarville, MS) by a mob, beaten and shot. His body was found in the Pearl River, 20 miles west of Poplarville, 10 days later. Following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the men who killed him were released. Despite confessions, no one was ever indicted for the killing.
• Whitney Miller, America's first MasterChef.
• Argile Smith, Southern Baptist clergyman and scholar; incoming interim president of Louisiana College, born in Poplarville in 1955; married there in 1975[13]
• Martin T. Smith, lawyer and politician[14]
• Jimmy Buffett, musician, lived in Poplarville for a period of time starting in 1959.[15]

Education

Huff Hall at Pearl River Community College

The City of Poplarville is served by the Poplarville School District and is home to Pearl River Community College.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
4. Williams, Diane (4 March 2014). Mississippi Folk and the Tales They Tell: Myths, Legends and Bald-Faced Lies. The History Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60949-932-7.
5. Thompson, Julius E. (2006). Lynchings in Mississippi: A History, 1865-1965. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 9781476604251.
6. Salter, Sid (14 June 2020). "Reaction to marches has changed". Hattiesburg American: B2.
7. Stolley, Richard B. (10 June 2018). "The legacy of Mack Charles Parker". The Santa Fe New Mexican.
8. Rushdy, Ashraf H. A. (2012-06-18). The End of American Lynching. Rutgers UP. p. 135. ISBN 9780813552934.
9. "President Visits with Residents of Poplarville, Mississippi" (press release). White House. September 5, 2005.
10. Showers, Al. "Poplarville voters decide to turn the dry city wet" (Archive). WLOX. March 26, 2014. Updated March 27, 2014. Retrieved on June 5, 2015.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
13. "Dr. Argile Smith Biographical Information". divinity.lacollege.edu. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
14. "Former Miss. lawmaker Martin Smith dies at 80". The Clarion-Ledger. February 27, 2015.
15. Eng, Steve (October 15, 1997). "Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed". Macmillan – via Google Books.

External links

• Media related to Poplarville, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Blueberry Jubilee